Russia, China, France and the UK all voted in favour of \u2018immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The United States has vetoed a United Nations security council resolution calling for an \u201cimmediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire\u201d in Gaza while the 14 remaining countries on the council voted in favour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The vetoed resolution also called the situation in Gaza \u201ccatastrophic\u201d, and demanded the \u201cimmediate and unconditional lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the UN and humanitarian partners\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was the fifth time that the US has vetoed a security council draft ceasefire resolution in order to protect Israel. Washington vetoed a similar resolution in November, under the Biden administration, on the grounds that the ceasefire demand was not directly linked to the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The text was co-sponsored by Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Somalia. Russia, China, France and the UK also voted in favour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe council was prevented from shouldering its responsibility, despite the fact that most of us seem to be converging on one view,\u201d said France\u2019s ambassador to the UN, Jerome Bonnafont.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToday, the United States sent a strong message by vetoing a counterproductive UN Security Council resolution on Gaza targeting Israel,\u201d the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said in a statement after the vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said Washington would not support any text that \u201cdraws a false equivalence between Israel and Hamas, or disregards Israel\u2019s right to defend itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe United States will continue to stand with Israel at the UN.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Israel also welcomed the US veto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI thank @POTUS and the US administration for standing shoulder to shoulder with Israel and vetoing this one-sided resolution in the UN Security Council,\u201d wrote Gideon Saar, Israel\u2019s minister of foreign affairs. \u201cThe proposed resolution only strengthens Hamas and undermines American efforts to achieve a hostage deal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The UK supported the resolution. In a statement, its ambassador, Barbara Woodward, called Israel\u2019s new aid system \u201cinhumane\u201d and said that Israel \u201cneeds to end its restrictions on aid now\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis Israeli government\u2019s decisions to expand its military operations in Gaza and severely restrict aid are unjustifiable, disproportionate and counterproductive,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd the UK completely opposes them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other security council members criticised the US for the veto. Pakistan\u2019s ambassador to the UN said the failed resolution would \u201cremain not only a moral stain on the conscience of this council, but a fateful moment of political application that will reverberate for generations\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China\u2019s ambassador to the UN, Fu Cong, said: \u201cToday\u2019s vote result once again exposes that the root cause of the council\u2019s inability to quell the conflict in Gaza is the repeated obstruction by the US.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The resolution was put up for a vote as the UN and aid agencies have warned of famine conditions in Gaza after a protracted embargo on aid and the shambolic rollout of a US- and Israeli-backed scheme called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat,\u201d said the UN relief chief, Tom Fletcher, on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The GHF, which has murky political backing and funding, announced that its distribution centres in Gaza would remain closed for a second day on Thursday morning. At least 27 people were killed and hundreds injured on Tuesday by Israeli fire as they waited for food at a GHF distribution point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Woodward, the UK permanent representative to the UN, voiced support for a UN call for \u201can immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIsrael needs to end its restrictions on aid now: let the UN and humanitarians do their job to save lives, reduce suffering and maintain dignity,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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